Think of the simple little suit, the kind that’s made up of swing skirt, sporty jacket, silk shirt, and you think of Emcar. Colours are fresh, always of the moment, fabrics the nicest to wear – flannels, smooth worsteds, good tweeds, crisp cottons. Each piece of each look is well cut, simply detailed. The total effect relaxed and happy, all together but naturally so. This is Emcar’s famous versatile coordinating idea – mix and match looks that you buy as a whole or collect piece by piece. Now they’ve added a new dimension to their collection – pretty and feminine special occasion dresses designed by their young new designer Kathy Welch. Her ides range from creamy lace dresses with matching trousers, to Liberty print part looks like the one here, from satin kimono jackets with bra top an baggy trousers to beautifully sleeved dresses – some smooth lined and silky with bouffant sleeves, others gathered and off the shoulder in Liberty prints, with puff sleeve and swirling deep hems.

Beautiful Tree with the mysterious Mexican Datura lily, right. Black panne velvet suit with great gathered Edwardian sleeves, a cowl and long panelled skirt; to order from Ossie Clark at Quorum.

Cecil Beaton took pictures of Penelope Tree wearing new Ossie Clarks in his Wiltshire winter garden and David Bailey filmed them both, below. Double take—like a scene from the film with Cecil Beaton as the star that David Bailey is making and everyone can see in colour on ATV early next year. When I Die I Want to Go to Vogue was Bailey’s idea of a title: nobody agreed with this. For one thing it would only reflect one aspect of the Beaton legend writer, of more than twenty books; painter, with at least five major exhibitions; designer, of just about everything—opera, ballet, theatre, film—and one-man commentator, whose eye has always focused unerringly, and wittily, on the moment—this moment.

“An epic with a cast of thousands,” says Bailey about the film. There’s Mick Jagger, Jean Shrimpton, Lord David Cecil, Nureyev, Twiggy and many, including Sir Frederick Ashton, Dr Roy Strong, Sir George and Lady Weidenfeld, David Hockney, Patrick Procktor, Ossie Clark, Celia Birtwell, Mrs Anne Fleming, Lord and Lady Harewood, Lady Antonia Fraser and Edna O’Brien, who came to the now famous party that Cecil Beaton gave, and David Bailey filmed, in his London house. “I told everyone beforehand that there would be cameras and told them not to come if they minded. Nobody did mind.” “The worst moments,” says a guest, were when you knew the cameras were not on you.” And Beaton added, It was a mixture of people all looking very interesting in their new autumn clothes. Many looked beautiful.” Beautiful Tree with the mysterious Mexican Datura lily, right. Black panne velvet suit with great gathered Edwardian sleeves, a cowl and long panelled skirt; to order. Black crepe dress, side-buttoning collar, then split, long split skirt with pleated panel, 17 gns. Both at Quorum. Victorian silver choker, Sarah Dwyer and Tony Giorgi, The Chelsea Antique Market. Hair by Celine of Leonard.

Above photographed by Cecil Beaton. Below photographed by David Bailey.

“What are Vidal Sassoon, Barbara Daly and Ossie Clark doing in Vogue studios? Vidal did the hair, Barbara the make-up, Ossie designed the dress … Lipstick matched to the flowers in Celia Birtwell’s printed chiffon. Ossie Clark twined his own gold chain and lizard over the shoulder and, snap, David Bailey. Dress to order from Ossie Clark.”